Remember Feud? Five whole years after we watched Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon clash onscreen as Old Hollywood royalty, Ryan Murphy’s FX anthology series is finally getting a second season. Per Deadline, the new installment, titled Capote’s Women, will focus on the glitzy New York City socialite scene in the 1970s, culminating in the 1984 death of writer and man about town Truman Capote.
Naomi Watts has been cast in the lead role of Barbara “Babe” Paley, the immortal style icon and real-life leader of her glamorous crowd. Paley was one of Capote’s “swans,” aka one of the fabulous women in his inner circle of confidantes. But their friendship suffered a bitter end when the iconic American author exposed the deepest, most scandalous secrets of Paley and his other swans in a short story for Esquire titled “La Côte Basque 1965.”
The juicy (OK, bitchy) story featured barely disguised characters inspired by the most famous figures in society at the time. Basically, it was the ’70s version of a Deuxmoi blind item. Which Long Island social climber’s husband’s death may not have been an accident after all? Whose husband is brazenly cheating on her with the governor’s wife—in their own home? Capote spilled it all.
Based on Laurence Leamer’s bestselling book Capote’s Women: A True Story of Love, Betrayal, and a Swan Song for an Era, the second season of Feud will be directed by iconic Oscar-nominated filmmaker Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting, Milk). All eight episodes were written by Jon Robin Baitz, the Pulitzer- and Tony-nominated playwright behind Other Desert Cities, who is also serving as showrunner.
The first season of Feud premiered in 2017, starring powerhouse actresses Lange and Sarandon. Those episodes centered on the famous rivalry between legendary Hollywood divas Joan Crawford (Lange) and Bette Davis (Sarandon) on the set of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? Upon its release, Feud received favorable critical reviews and scored an impressive 18 Emmy nominations.
As for the lucky guy who will spar with Watts on screen, the search for a Capote is well underway. The In Cold Blood author has previously been portrayed by the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, who won an Oscar for his role in 2005’s Capote, and Toby Jones in Infamous (opposite Sigourney Weaver as Babe). The roles of Capote’s other famous swans, including Slim Keith, Gloria Guinness, and Lee Radziwill, sister of first lady Jackie Kennedy, are also up for grabs.
